


Mr. and Mr. Sawi

by Essi_Magwayen



Category: Buhay Kolehiyo, SSU, Sexy Sexy Universities
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Developing Friendships, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Heartbreak, M/M, Sad and Horny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 02:53:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17779211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Essi_Magwayen/pseuds/Essi_Magwayen
Summary: It feels as if Manuel just spoke to a completely different person. It didn’t sound like the Arem he’s known for years. Manuel sighs, he feels a weight in his chest. If travelling for roughly two hours on Valentine’s day means lifting Arem’s spirits up just by his presence, then maybe his change of plans for tonight would be for the best.





	Mr. and Mr. Sawi

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day y'all. I'm here to break your hearts. WOOPS.

 

 

 

 

 

_Preeeeeeeeeeenggggkkk!!_

 

Manuel swings his head to shoot a hard look at the window in complete annoyance as his phone call gets disrupted by the blaring sound of jeepneys on Padre Faura St.

 

         “Hello kuya?” He asks a little louder on the phone he is holding.

         “Hello Maman! Anuna, nasa may Adamson na kami,” says his brother. “Nasundo na namin si Addie, dadaanan ka ba namin?”

 

He moves from his desk to peer out of the window, looking for the cause of the deafening jeepney horns. He sees the traffic thickening from his floor at the Astral Tower with each jeep tailing on each other bumper to bumper, barely moving moving an inch. A flock of people with a mix of students, construction workers, working adults and street children cram themselves on the sidewalks to avoid the vehicles. The evening is growing deeper and rush hour is beginning to bring the streets of Manila to urban chaos.

 

         “UY MAMAN!”

         Manuel jumps. “Ay! Sorry uhh,” he quickly looks around his dorm to scan for his belongings. “Hindi na kuya, sorry. ‘Di- ‘di ako makakasama eh.”

 

He jumps over a pile of books to pick up his used pants on the floor. He sniffs it a little, deeming it still wearable.

 

         “HA?! BAKET!?” Phil yells on the phone. “POTA SABI MO SASAMA KA NA.”

 

Manuel struggles to shove his legs through his tight-fitting jeans with just one hand.

 

         “Uhmm…” He pauses from dressing, thinking of the next words he’ll say. “Biglang nagyaya si Arem eh.” He says as casually as he can muster, yet he feels the change in his own voice.

 

Both ends of the line fall silent with awareness of the assumption of the _other_ casualty.

 

         “Ahh…” is all Phil could let out to fill in the silence. Manuel can feel him looking around for answers. “Uhmm- Ah! Edi sige, ingat na lang kayo.”

         “Gege. Enjoy kayo.” Manuel nods and resumes dressing while speaking. “Pasabi na lang kay Salle na sorry, ‘di ako makakapunta.”

         “Geh, ako nang bahala. Bye Mamaaaan!!”

         Manuel snickers at the sound of his baby name. “Bye kuya.”

 

Once the call ends, he places his phone on the desk nearby. He steps through the curtain to get to his corner in the unit shared by four.

 

_Bzzt!_

_Bzzt!_

_Bzzt!_

_Bzzt!_

 

He quickly fixes his wallet and other necessities, along with a few sprays of cologne before walking back out to the common space of the unit.

 

He slips his phone into his pocket not bothering to check the several messages that came through.

 

Manuel steps out from the Astral Tower’s lobby to the narrow street of Taft Avenue packed with vehicles. The stench of infested sewers mixed with dried piss and smoke reaches Manuel’s nose, yet he looks out to the vehicles passing by completely unbothered. Living here for nearly three years has made him accustomed to the smell.

 

He walks to the edge of the cracked and indistinguishable sidewalk where a thick line of people have begun to build, all hoping to get a chance to be the one last passenger to squeeze in. The anticipation of the mild stress of having to commute to España on a thursday night, on a rush hour,  on Valentine’s day gets to Manuel’s head. He quietly sighs to himself. Oh the things he does just to try and make his friend feel better.

 

As soon as Manuel sees SM FAIRVIEW on written on a board displayed on the UV Express’ windshield he sticks his arms out taking his claim. The van stops past him and he sprints to the back of the van before the flock of people get to his prey. Manuel nearly shoves others out of his way and swoops under the back door of the van to slide in. The door is shut. He crams his butt between the two larger people who are already seated on one bench. He stares back out into the street as the van moves a few inches His weight is barely resting on his bottom, but he guesses it’s better than standing outside waiting for a ride.

 

         “Bayad po.” He passes his fifty peso bill to the front.

 

Once his change is passed back to him, he slips them into his tiny knitted coin purse and squeezes his fingers to cram it into his pocket. Once he has settled himself on his seat, he finally pulls out his phone. He decides to text his friend who is the sole reason for all his change of plans tonight.

 

               _6:54 PM_

               **PT ng Bayan:** papunta na ko puta ka

                                           ang traffic

 

He enters back to scroll through his previous unread messages.

 

               _6:23 PM_

               **Soaring Flying:** woi amen

               **Soaring Flying:** nung balita

               **Soaring Flying:** sabi ni pilipinas di na

               raw u tuloy?????

               **Soaring Flying:** ameeeen

 

Manuel snickers at his friend.

 

               _6:56 PM_

               **PT ng Bayan:** Ads slr oo nagyaya kasi si

               si #1 mr sawi haha lammo na

 

               _6:57 PM_

               **Soaring Flying:** Aaaaah nako ka. Bukas

                                         makalawa alcoholic na yan.

               May bago ka nang patient lol

               **PT ng Bayan:** hahaha tangina

 

               _6:58 PM_

               **Soaring Flying:** Alam na ba niya?

 

He hums quietly to himself at the thought of Arem finding out.

 

               _6:59 PM_

               **PT ng Bayan:** ewan ko sa kanya haha

 

               _7:00 PM_

               **Soaring Flying:** Di mo sinabi?

               **PT ng Bayan:** di eh

               **Soaring Flying:** bat di mo sinabe?????

 

_Bakit nga ba._

 

Manuel leaves his screen open. He briefly stares out to the window, as if he’d find the answer from the sea of blinding headlights. They haven’t gotten far. They’ve barely passed UN Station.

 

_Bzzt!_

 

Without an answer formulated, he tips his chin down to look back at his phone.

 

               _7:01 PM_

               **Soaring Flying:** tengene nandito na si salle

               **Soaring Flying:** tangina

               **Soaring Flying:** bakit

               **Soaring Flying:** bat ang gwapo niya manuel

               **Soaring Flying:**???????? illegal.

               **Soaring Flying:** hhjkfdjgnfdkghh pakshet

 

Manuel tosses his head back cackling as he watches Addie’s texts streaming in.

 

               _7:02 PM_

               **PT ng Bayan:** si bebe labs mo

               **Soaring Flying:** I CAN ONLY WISH HMPF

               **PT ng Bayan:** bakuran mo na

               **Soaring Flying:** ALAWS NA TAKEN NAMAN

               **PT ng Bayan:** sus asawa nga nadedekwat

               **Soaring Flying:** AMEN NO. THATS BAD

               **Soaring Flying:** pero trut naman

 

Manuel chuckles.

 

               _7:02 PM_

               **PT ng Bayan:** go ads momol mo na yan

               **Soaring Flying:** GEH PUCHA

               **Soaring Flying:** jk lang

 

A notif appears at the top of his screen. A message from Arem.

 

               _7:03 PM_

               **Soaring Flying:** OKAY JK LANG TALAGA

               **Soaring Flying:** nandito na yung jowa niya

               **Soaring Flying:** rip

               **PT ng Bayan:** speaking of sawi

               **PT ng Bayan:** nag text na si arem

               **Soaring Flying:** sabe?

 

Manuel quickly switches to check the message. He opens Arem’s message to see a short paragraph about how his supposed _booking_ for tonight suddenly left him hanging. Despite his ongoing lighthearted conversation with Addie, hurt strikes through Manuel’s chest with the idea of his already _sawi_ friend getting ditched by his booking, on Valentine’s Day of all days.

 

Manuel sighs and leaves Arem’s message without answering. He switches back to his conversation with Addie.

 

               _7:03 PM_

               **PT ng Bayan:** gusto na daw mamatay

                                         tangina daw ng lahat

                                         ng mga nang iinjan

               **Soaring Flying:** RIP. Press F.

               **Soaring Flying:** haynako ka amen

               **PT ng Bayan:** bat ako???

               **Soaring Flying:** sabi mo dadamayan

                                         mo ko dito

               **Soaring Flying:** TAS DI KA SISIPOT

               **Soaring Flying:** PARA KAY AREM!?

               **Soaring Flying:** choose one hoe

               **PT ng Bayan:** HIRAP KAYANG DALAWA

                                         KAYOGN SAWI AMBOT

               **PT ng Bayan:** malungkot din ako no :’(

               **Soaring Flying:** YAK WALANG MASAYA

                                         SATIN HAPPY BALENTAYMS

 

And suddenly a caller ID that read “Mr. Sawi” interupts Manuel and Addie’s conversation. He quickly slides the button on his screen to answer his call.

 

         “Arem. Uy.” He keeps his voice soft, both to not interrupt other passengers and to try and soothe his friend, who is sniffling on the other line.

         “So ‘san ka na.” Says Arem, his voice sounding strained.

         “Dito pa eh. ‘Di pa nakakaalis ng taft.” Manuel scratches his head. “Sobrang traffic eh.”

         “Lakad ka na lang.” Arem says almost seriously.

         “Luh!” Manuel chuckles.

 

From the other end of the line, Arem starts laughing in a low and aloof manner. His friend continues on with this desperate laugh for several more seconds, until his laughter fades. It ends with a deep sigh. Silence falls through their call.

 

Manuel feels his own chest tighten with the ache. The kind of heart wrenching ache which they know, they share with the other. A frown touches Manuel’s lips. They stay silent on the line, simply waiting for the other to speak. Only the sound of Manila traffic fills their line.

 

         Unable to find words to say, Manuel chooses, “Malapit na ‘ko.” In an attempt of reassuring the other.

 

Another beat passes.

 

         “Sigeeeee.” Arem drags out the word with exhaustion painting his voice. “Dito lang ako.”

         “Sige...Diyan ka lang ha? Hintayin mo ‘ko.”

         “... Sige.”

 

Never has Manuel heard him speak that way. Arem is always the gay guy who is sly with his comedy, not as loud and as flamboyant as most, but just as hilarious. He’s always the one who drags everyone else to bars or clubs or anywhere to have a good time.

 

But it feels as if Manuel just spoke to a completely different person. It didn’t sound like the Arem he’s known for years. Manuel sighs, he feels a weight in his chest. If travelling for roughly two hours on Valentine’s day means lifting Arem’s spirits up just by his presence, then maybe his change of plans for tonight would be for the best.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

               _8:34 PM_

               **PT ng Bayan:** Arem

               **PT ng Bayan:** Espana tower diba?

 

Manuel strains his neck to look up to where the top of the huge building meets the evening sky. Several jeepneys and UVs whip past him, ruffling his hair a little. According to his map on his phone, this should be the place where he’ll find the address that Arem gave him.

 

               _8:34 PM_

               **Mr.** **#1 Sawi:** yes beb. Akyat ka 805

               **Mr.** **#1 Sawi:** di naka lock yung pinto

               **PT ng Bayan:** kk see you

 

With his phone in his hand, Manuel steps into the lobby. He casually nods his head at the security guard. He isn’t sure whether he’ll have to register to pass through, but he decides to just walk in anyway. He successfully walks into the elevator without being clocked.

 

Manuel mindlessly scrolls through his past conversations with Arem. The last thing they talked about before today was the stress of their shifts at the respective hospitals. None of their exchanges from the night before showed any kind of distress on Arem’s, unless he just wasn’t paying attention.

 

He flicks his eyes from his phone screen. He catches his reflection on the elevator. Tousled dark, brown hair and a frown on his face from wanting to smack himself in the face because he doesn’t know exactly why Arem sounded so exhausted and defeated over the phone. He has an idea though, one that he himself didn’t like thinking of.

 

The elevator dings, signalling the doors to separate. Manuel steps out idly passes through the hallway, he counts each door, looking for the unit that Arem gave him.

 

               _8:41 PM_

               **PT ng Bayan:** dito na ko

 

He looks from his phone to the door in front of him. Manuel hesitates whether or not he should still knock, but he does anyway. No one answers even after a few seconds. Manuel sighs and pockets his phone. He takes a few more seconds before he wraps his palm around the knob.

 

The door creaks open. The voice of Arem’s high-pitched, barely in tune singing echoes across the room. Manuel slowly steps inside. The room is dimmed as the curtains are drawn in front of the only window in the unit, all the lights are off apart from the lamp on the bedside table that emits a soft yellow tint.

 

On the floor is a sight that Manuel never expected to see. His friend, currently sits on the cold tiled flooring of the unit. He leans against the wall with the thick curtains stuck in between. He sits there half-naked with only his boxers and a tacky untied robe covering his skin. His hair is tousled. He sings to himself, while hugging a large bottle of what looks like flavored Shoju.

 

The shock in Manuel’s eyes remain as he approaches his friend. He crouches lower as he nears him and finally he notices his friend’s face. His cheeks are red and swollen, several streaks of tears continue to stream across his cheeks. In a split second, Manuel’s chest tightens bearing the pain of seeing his friend in such a state.

 

         “Arem?” His voice echoes with every bit of worry.

 

Arem’s singing quiets down to a stop. He lets out an airy and baseless laugh at the echo of his name, while tears spill from supposedly smiling eyes that are squeezed shut.

 

Manuel kneels beside him tensely, with his arms raised a little, ready in case of any kind emergencies. He wets his lips that have suddenly gone dry with panic. He’s never seen him like this. He doesn’t know what to do. Should he hold him?

 

Arem sighs deeply. He leans his head back on the wall. He shuts his eyes. His lips tremble with a light sob.

 

Seconds stretch between them. With every heartbeat that passes, Manuel relaxes himself but never takes his eyes off his friend. He eases to his side.

 

Manuel’s lashes dip once. He sighs, disheartened. Manuel scoots as close as he can to Arem’s side. He feels the warmth of his skin at his side. Manuel pulls his knees up and rests his elbows on them.

 

The airconditioning hums against their silence. Manuel stares aimlessly at a spot on the dimmed wall. The blaring horns from eight stories below echo faintly into the unit.

 

Silence grow thinner between them.

 

The figure beside Manuel slowly leans his head on his shoulder. Manuel’s eyes slowly shut. He feels the weight of Arem’s world weighing in, in his chest.

 

Seconds.

 

Minutes.

 

Time passes.

 

The world continues to move, as their world crashes and shatters every remaining piece of their aching hearts. Numbness in feeling is but a wish.

 

         “Ang daya naman eh.”

 

The other speaks, just above a whisper. Just enough for Manuel to hear. He feels his breath on his skin. He catches the faint smell of sweet alcohol.

 

         “Masaya sila-”

 

Arem’s thin voice breaks. Manuel’s eyebrows knit together.

 

_If he cries, I cry._

 

Arem’s sniffles. His lips tremble.

 

         “Bakit sila lang?”

 

A sob spills from his lips, breaking his last word. Manuel feels the cloth on his shoulder getting damp by his friend’s tears.

 

Manuel tips his head back, staring at the ceiling, blinking, pulling everything in him to keep them together, to keep them in one piece. Tears are brimming from his ears. Manuel squeezes his eyes shut.

 

Despite the sniffling and sobbing, Arem snickers bitterly. He pulls up the bottle of Soju and chugs it down, leaving only a fourth of it left. He swallows loudly. He raises his bottle of Soju up by the neck.

 

         “Happy _putanginang_ Valentine’s day kay _putanginang_ Phil at kay _putanginang_ Tomas,”

 

Manuel couldn’t help a sob escaping his lips at the sound of their names. He feels his tears spill, despite his closed lids.

 

         “Ang _saya_ niyo _putangina_ kayo,”

 

Arem laughs out a sob. He grips the bottle with both fists and struggles to even out his breath as he wails.

 

Seconds drag on as the two shattered hearts breakdown on the cold floor next to each other. Wave after wave of pain strikes through their chests. Their hearts aching, crying and screaming drowns out every other sound in the room. Their heads pound with every weight that their chest carries. The destruction of their passion pours over the humble flooring, drowning themselves in agony.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Until only numbness is felt.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

The world stills.

 

 

 

* * *

 

After long minutes of silence, Manuel’s light sigh fills the quiet air. Arem in his state of drunkenness and exhaustion remains leaning his head against Manuel’s shoulder. His voice is hoarse and his screaming and crying already felt like it was ages ago. They both sit, leaning their backs against the wall, their legs sprawled out in front of them.

 

Manuel weakly raises his hand. He carefully reaches over to brush the tips of his fingers on the back of Arem’s palm.

 

Arem’s swollen eyes softly blinks once, and he looks down to see where their skin touches.

 

Manuel’s eyes, too, have turned to look at the same spot. He watches as he lightly slides his thick and long fingers through Arem’s slender and bonier ones.

 

They sit there, in silence, staring at where they brush their thumbs on each other’s skin.

 

         “Tama na,” Manuel whispers.

 

For Arem, for himself. For the both of them. For the attempt to soothe their pain.

 

         “Tama na.”

 

He says again.

 

The figure beside him lets out a deep breath through a sob. The last of Arem’s tears spill as a tired smile forms on his lips. Suddenly everything seems to be at ease. Despite the carcass in their chests, they continue to breathe. Their heart continues to beat.

 

Arem squeezes Manuel’s fingers in his, holding on to them tightly, in an attempt at finding comfort.

 

         “Sorry, ang kalat ko.” Says Arem.

 

Manuel chuckles weakly. He tucks his arm over Arem’s. He tugs their linked fingers over his thigh in a more comfortable position. Manuel feels the streaks on his cheeks beginning to dry from his own after cry. He stares at Arem’s fingers fondly.

 

         “Kailan mo nalaman?” Manuel clears his throat while speaking.

         Arem sighs. “Kahapon.”

 

Manuel nods. He bores his eyes into the details of Arem’s fingers. He feels the need to close his friend’s delicate fingers between his palms. And he does exactly that.

 

Arem doesn’t become rigid or tense at his touch. On the contrary, Arem simply flicks his lidded eyes to where his frail fingers are tucked between Manuel’s larger palms. Manuel assumes it’s okay, for him to hold him like this.

 

         “Kaya ka ba humanap ng karat?” Manuel asks, thoughtfully, gently pressing his thumbs on Arem’s fingers.

         Arem chuckles tiredly. “Wala namang iba pang dahilan.” He tucks his head at the crook of Manuel’s neck. “Gusto ko lang namang makalimot.”

 

His friend snickers and Manuel feels his hot breath tickling the skin on his neck. The gears inside his head turn. If there is anything he could do to take away his pain, or to help him forget, he would do it.

 

His head is clouded.

 

He carefully leans away. Of everything that has happened, it is this that surprises Arem. With a frown forming on his lips, Arem pulls his body to sit up straight, resorting to slouch against the wall. He turns his head to lean his cheek on the wall. He stares at Manuel.

 

Manuel leans to his side aswell, never letting their fingers separate. He stares at his friend. His friend with tousled hair, with his chest exposed between the fabric of the robe, with his redenned cheeks, with his eyeglasses missing, with his swollen eyes, with his plush and swollen lips, with every evidence of hurt etched into the features of his face.

 

The world revolving around them fall into Manuel’s deaf ears. The four walls of the unit they’re in disappears. There is only Arem’s eyes; sad and desperate eyes.

 

Manuel doesn’t think.

 

He leans in.

 

_—_

 

Arem pulls away. He stares at Manuel. He blinks quickly.

 

         “S-sorry,” Manuel stutters out.

 

His breathing is heavy.

 

_Bakit ko ginawa ‘yun?!_

 

Manuel squeezes his eyes shut as a pang of regret rushes through him. He shakes his head.

 

         “Arem, shit, sorry,”

 

Manuel pulls away. His world is crumbling, turning into dust. He needs to run away. He doesn’t know what he’s doing anymore _—_

 

His cheeks are captured by bony and slender fingers, delicately holding him in place. Manuel shoots his eyes open.

 

Their eyes meet.

 

Not a word is spoken. The only sound comes from each take of their breaths. They stare into each other’s eyes, burning with questions, and answers, and more questions, and unanswered questions _—_

 

         “Bakit? _—_ ”

         “Hind ko alam _—_ ”

 

He asks. He answers.

 

_Ano ba ‘to!?_

 

Manuel lets out a deep breath, attempting to calm the pounding in his chest. He feels the other’s set of fingers stroking his cheeks. Manuel turns his eyes back to meet Arem’s. He reaches up to close his palms over the other’s wrists.

 

Their breaths even out. They feel light headed.

 

Arem finds himself giggling. Manuel looks over to him and his worried face that was dreading his friend’s reaction, breaks into a smile. Manuel sighs in relief.

 

He thought he had just destroyed his friendship with this man just because he was dumb enough to kiss him.

 

A weak smile appears on Arem’s lips as he stares at Manuel.

 

         “So bakit mo ‘ko kiniss?” He asks again, lighter this time.

         Manuel wets his lips before answering, “Sabi mo...” He takes a breath, “Sabi mo gusto mo makalimot, ‘di ko rin alam kung bakit ‘yun yung ginawa ko. Sorry...”

 

Arem chuckles through a sigh.

 

He moves, he shuffles his limbs to slowly swing his lanky legs over Manuel’s thighs. Manuel’s eyes grow bigger at what his friend is actually doing. Arem settles to straddle his friend’s thighs.

 

Manuel can feel his heart beat racing once more.

 

Arem rests his palms on Manuel’s stomach and the latter’s fingers immediately brushes the back of Arem’s hands.

 

They revel in each other’s touch like that. Not knowing what to do, not knowing what to say, not knowing what to feel.

 

         “Friends tayo?” Arem asks. He traces random patterns on Manuel’s clothed stomach.

 

Manuel nods.

 

         “Friends tayo.” Arem declares with assurance.

 

They catch each other’s eyes once more. Both pairs look at the other’s with soft and lidded eyes. Arem slips the tip of his tongue over his lip once to bring moisture to it.

 

Arem’s slim figure leans in. He scoots closer. With most of Manuel’s logical consciousness, thrown out the window, he mindlessly pulls his finger under his friend’s robe. He brushes his fingers against the skin on Arem’s back, guiding him to inch closer.

 

Manuel feels his friend’s crotch over his own. A pool of unwanted heat pulls at Manuel’s lower region. He knows he shouldn’t be feeling this.

 

Arem leans face leans closer to Manuel’s, their lips only a hair away from touching.

 

         “Okay lang ‘to?”

 

Manuel feels the breath from Arem’s words on his lips. He swallows.

 

         “... Makakatulong ba sa’yo?” He answers, just as equally soft.

         Arem’s lips hovers over the other’s. “Hind ko alam,” he whispers.

 

And Manuel pushes his lips to meet the other’s.

 

         “I’m sorry,” he whispers softly against their kiss.

         “ _Sssh_...” Arem hushes him.

 

He kisses him.

They kiss.

 

And kiss,

and kiss,

and kiss.

 

They catch their breaths against each other lips. They drown in each other’s touch, in each other’s skin.

 

The other’s robe begin to slide down from his shoulders, exposing his skin. And the other wraps the former’s back with the warmth of his palm. Manuel caresses Arem’s exposed skin as they explore each other’s mouths.

 

They pull away, with their hot breaths fanning each other’s skin.

 

         “Manuel,” he says, breathless.

         “Arem,” he answers back.

 

They say each other’s name in a mantra as drown in each other’s unguarded desire. So many questions spiral into their heads, but all are ignored by feeling of their skin sliding against the other’s.

 

What baseless oneness it is to move against the other as one and drown in each other’s physical being, to simply overcome the aching hearts. How regretful it is to shed tears from the high of each other’s climax, but not of the deep seethed overwhelming kind of love, instead, stems from the unrequited love from a mutual other.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Not a hint of regret colors Manuel’s eyes as he stares at the sight of his friend, soundly sleeping at his side. His cheek is pressed against the pillow, with stark naked body curled inwards. A blanket barely covers Arem’s lower region.

 

His line of sight trails lower down Arem’s body. He eyes each of the scattered marks that he can’t believe he made. He flicks his eyes from Arem’s body to his own.

 

Scratches. Light bruises.

 

All done by Arem. His friend.

 

Sex. He had sex. With Arem. His friend.

 

Manuel swallows and sighs. He knows he should be regretting this. He knows this _will_ ruin their friendship. But he looks back at his _friend_. He looks so relax, at ease. And that’s what he wanted right? To put him at ease. To take away his pain. To help him forget.

 

His mind goes into several rounds of thinking and rethinking every second of how the night escalated. He sighs deeply and stares at the ceiling, defeated.

 

Outside the window, the sun is beginning to greet a new day. Manuel feels the exhaustion weigh in on his lids. He blinks slowly.

 

He feels a shift on the bed. Warmth envelopes his side. It wakes his sleepy consciousness and he turns his chin to find Arem scooting up to his side and stretching his arm across his bare stomach.

 

Manuel’s eyes soften as his chest spreads with warmth. He reaches over and runs his fingers through the other’s hair.

 

He doesn’t know what they are or what they aren’t anymore. What ever it is, it may or may not be something they’ll both regret. But even so, Manuel revels in the feeling of being in each other’s harm. At least, in this way, he can keep him safe. He can stop the pain, at least for now.

 

         “Manuel,”

         He feels his breath fanning his skin. “Mm?”

         “Salamat.”

 

The weight of the word lifts the tightening in his chest, and somehow, for the first time since yesterday, Manuel is able to breathe calmly.

 

         “Manuel?”

         “Yes?”

 

Seconds pass without his friend answering, but he feels him sigh against his skin.

 

         “Friends parin tayo ‘di ba?”

 

Manuel chuckles faintly. He doesn’t know… He doesn’t know what to say.

He wraps his arms around Arem’s back. He holds him closely.

 

Silence fall over them.

 

The sun begins to warm the mattress as they nestle into the warmth of each other’s skin. Manuel’s eyes finally submits into unconsciousness.

 

_Basta mahal kita._

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This one's for [@earthsgayest](https://twitter.com/earthsgayest)! Hope you liked it my dear!!
> 
> Prompt:  
> \- Arem Manuel mutual pining for Tomas  
> \- leads to drunk sex
> 
> Yell at me [@essi_mag](https://twitter.com/essi_mag) for 24/7 Buhay Kolehiyo screaming.


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